[candiddevmike]

I built a config management tool, Etcha, that uses short lived JWTs. I extended it to offer a full shell over HTTP using JWTs:

https://etcha.dev/docs/guides/shell-access/

It works well and I can "expose" servers using reverse proxies since the entire shell session is over HTTP using SSE.

[artificialLimbs]

I don’t understand why this is more secure than limiting SSH to local network only and doing ‘normal’ ssh hardening.

[candiddevmike]

None of that is required here? Etcha can be exposed on the Internet with a smaller risk profile than SSH:

- Sane, secure defaults

- HTTP-based--no fingerprinting, requires the correct path (which can be another secret), plays nicely with reverse proxies and forwarders (no need for jump boxes)

- Rate limited by default

- Only works with PKI auth

- Clients verify/validate HTTPS certificates, no need for SSHFP records.

[g-b-r]

“All JWTs are sent with low expirations (5 seconds) to limit replability”

Do you know how many times a few packets can be replayed in 5 seconds?

[candiddevmike]

Sure, but this is all happening over HTTPS (Etcha only listens on HTTPS), it's just an added form of protection/expiration.